Helping people shine a protecting light on prisoner struggles

This site

This website is very much under construction, and open to input and collaboration from others. If you are interested in participating in the site’s development and use, please contact: prisonerresistance@gmail.com

Goals of the site:– state-by-state (or at least region by region) breakdown of prisoner resistance movements so people can plug into efforts happening close by.– A series of audio and textual interviews with wide variety of folks doing prisoner support work, and with prisoners who are engaged in resistance.– a fundraising platform, so people with money but no time can help people who are supporting friends and family inside remain central to this work despite financial precarity.– links to and updates from the various prisoner support organizations– a message board so people can easily contact each other and coordinate activities

Principles:– Prisoner-led… we prioritize the input from and needs of prisoners, their families, and communites who are targeted for policing and incarceration. The role of people within this organization who are not from that community is to step back, listen and help realize projects initiated and led by prisoners.– Unity… prisoner resistance very often involves folks overcoming historical and institutionalized divisions. If racialized prison gangs can overcome their differences to find common cause, then socialists & anarchists, pacifists & militants, reformists & abolitionists need to recognize that while we all have very different experiences, backgrounds and visions, there is common ground we can work on. – Realism… The organizers of this site are not pushing prisoners to engage in these protests, or make unrealistic demands. We have recognized that prisoners ARE engaging in protests, which have thus far been inadequately supported, and we seek to change that. – Reliability & commitment… prisoners take massive risks of retaliation and violence from the authorities when they stand up to their captors. Support and public outrage from people on the outside can act as a shield against this retaliation. People on the outside need to think carefully and communicate clearly about their commitment levels so that prisoners have some way to assess the risks they may face.